Trip #3

At this point, I'm not even going to pretend that pictures are necessary, mostly because I'm not a terribly adventurous eater and have basically eaten the same thing on all three visits. I've also realized that I can get my money's worth going once a week, saving myself the embarrassment of being some lonely pig sitting alone at Olive Garden demanding more pasta refills and then taking more to go.

Anyhoo, today, it was me, my mom, and my nephew Mr. Baby. I was once again treating my mom to a lovely lunch, and I had the added distraction of Mr. Baby wanting to eat crayons, throw fries, and sit in the booth next to me after he tried to climb out of the high chair.

My mom went with her tried and true: angel hair, meat sauce, and meatballs. I made the mistake of starting with rigatoni and five cheese marinara (breaking my rule of starting with small, less filling pasta) because I like it better than angel hair and marinara. My nephew got cheese pizza and fries, and he screamed with delight when a child-sized portion of milk arrived (he's easy to impress).

We got a giant salad, onions on the side again (see Ryan, not a problem), and I once again overindulged on breadsticks.

For the second round, my mom got rigatoni, meat sauce, and meatballs (joined by another one of my meatballs) that were earmarked for my other brother. I got angel hair, marinara, and meatballs. By the time that arrived, Mr. Baby had tried to escape from the high chair, and because my mom needed a break, I put him next to me in the booth, where he insisted on standing next to me the entire time. I ate one meatball and threw the other one on top of "my mom's" second bowl, and attempted to eat with my left hand while holding onto Mr. Baby with the other.

When our server came back, I asked for another bowl of rigatoni and five cheese, even though I was clearly not going to be able to finish my second bowl, "followed shortly by a to-go box." "Oh, I can box it up back there!" "You won't get in trouble?" "No problem!" She came back with fresh pasta for me and boxed up Mr. Baby's mostly uneaten meal and the pasta that would be going to my brother.

She gave us excellent service and we made sure to tell her. And because of what she did next, I can't tell you her name. She put both pasta bowls on my pass and only charged for Mr. Baby's food. A damn saint, this woman. I added a $20 tip since I basically paid nothing for 4 people to eat (my sister, mother of Mr. Baby, will be getting my third bowl).

Running total: $59.62 - over halfway paid for!!! 
Week one: $14.78
Week two: $15.28
Week three: $14.78 + $14.78